Live: Elections 2024

The United States is concerned about reports of intimidation and voter suppression in Pakistan’s election, Reuters quotes the White House as saying.

“We are watching this very, very closely,” White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Thursday, expressing concern about “intimidation and voter suppression.”

“International monitors are still taking a look at those tallies, I’m not going to get ahead of that process,” he added about the vote count.

His comments came after the Foreign Office once again rejected international criticism of the election process, saying polls were an internal, sovereign affair of Pakistan.

Moonis Elahi, the son of PTI President Parvez Elahi, has claimed that “people close to” PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif said he was “totally against” bringing a vote of no confidence against ex-premier Imran Khan.

He made the claim in a post on X, where he asked PML-N leader Marriyum Aurangzeb if former premier Shehbaz Sharif convinced Nawaz to allow a vote of no confidence against Imran.

The PTI is expected to hold a press conference in Islamabad today where it said it would present “original and signed Form-45s as proof of extensive electoral fraud in compilation” of the election results.

PTI leader Salman Akram Raja would lead the event, scheduled for 2pm at the capital’s Marriott Hotel.

As the PTI initiates talks with its bitter rival JUI-F, a faction within PML-N has also advised the Sharif family to extend an olive branch to Imran Khan’s party, a party leader has told Dawn.

However, any thaw in the animosity between the two parties is unlikely in the near future as the leadership is “in no mood” to extend any friendly gestures to the PTI.

The initial suggestion for a reconciliatory approach with all parties was proffered by senior PML-N leader Khawaja Saad Rafique, who proposed the idea of a national government, having representation of all parties, including the PTI-backed independent candidates who won on Feb 8.

Similar sentiments were expressed by another PML-N leader, who said that the fight with PTI “needs to end”.

On the flip side, a PML-N leader close to Maryam Nawaz Sharif told Dawn that the leadership was in no mood for reconciliation with Mr Khan’s party.

Read more here.

PTI Secretary General Omar Ayub has claimed that the party-backed MNA-elect from Sialkot has been “abducted” and “is being forced” to leave the party and join the PML-N.

In a post on X, Ayub said he condemned “this rigging process and enforced disappearances in the strongest words possible”.

PTI lawyer Abuzar Salman Niazi has claimed that Brigadier (rtd) Aslam Ghumman, the party’s MNA-elect from Sialkot’s NA-74, has been “abducted”.

The X account of the PTI’s Gujrat chapter also claimed the same, saying Ghumman was “abducted by unknown people”.

PML-N leader Khawaja Saad Rafique has called former premier and PTI founder Imran Khan the “biggest beneficiary and the one responsible for the political tug-of-war” in the country.

Reacting to the recent talks between the PTI and the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam—Fazl (JUI-F), Rafique remarked that the PTI might now also approach the PPP’s Asif Ali Zardari in “another U-turn move”.

The Awami National Party has ruled out negotiations with the PTI, claiming it had stolen ANP’s mandate.

In a statement, ANP central general secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain said that PTI senior leader and former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser had contacted the party leadership.

However, Hussain said that ANP was of the view that under the prevailing circumstances negotiations with PTI as a party was not appropriate.

Hussain said that PTI was being given government through rigging in elections and in such a situation the ANP had the only option to hold protest rallies. “ANP has been defeated and PTI was supported,” he said.

He said his party had already announced its plan of holding protests from Feb 20 against election rigging, alteration of results and use of money.

PML-N leader Khawaja Asif has called out the double standards of politicians who do not refrain from hurling corruption allegations at each other or using the religious card but they align together when their interests are at stake.

In a post on X, the former defence minister said on the one hand all the political parties were accusing each other of being beneficiaries of rigging and on the other hand they were talking about joint protests and even government formation.

“In these circumstances, if the people, who are watching us all, adopt the culture of moral and social degradation, who will be responsible for it?” he asked.

“Our first responsibility is the high moral education of the people by becoming a role model,” Asif concluded. “We are managing their moral decline by our actions.”

Hitting out at criticism of PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif over alleged rigging in the general elections, party stalwart Javed Latif has said everyone will be left silence if a few facts about the party supremo regarding Feb 8 are revealed.

Former finance minister Ishaq Dar has said that the second round of the PML-N and PPP joint meetings between their coordination committees was completed in which matters regarding government formation progressed.

In a post on X, the PML-N leader said it was decided that the third consultation meeting of the coordination committees would be held over the weekend.

Dar, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar and Malik Muhammad Ahmed Khan participated in the meeting on behalf of PML-N while Murad Ali Shah, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Saeed Ghani, and Nadeem Afzal Chan took part from PPP’s side.

PTI’s Barrister Saif has said that a party delegation met JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman on the instructions of party founder Imran Khan to contact all political parties which were aggrieved by the irregularities in the conduct of the elections.

“PTI has announced that we will do a country-wide protest on Saturday and this process will continue because the JUI has also expressed doubts about the elections and their results and rejected them.

“We have a joint point on which we are united,” he said.

Saif said the parties would struggle, talk and continue their movement and protests together till the people received their rights.

JUI-F leader Hafiz Hamdullah has said the party welcomed a delegation of the PTI led by Asad Qaiser for talks.

He said party chief Fazlur Rehman declared the meeting “positive” in the current circumstances.

“Basically it was discussed that the case brought by the PTI on what happened in February 8 elections, was also a case from before of the JUI.”

He said Rehman had already announced that the party rejected the elections and did not represent the national mandate, adding that the PTI delegation presented the same case.

Leaders of the PTI and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl are addressing a press conference in Islamabad after talks between their delegations.

A PTI delegation led by party leader Asad Qaiser has arrived at the Islamabad residence of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl chief Fazlur Rehman for talks.

JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said that the Feb 8 election results suggested that the people had endorsed those who were allegedly labelled as traitors by the establishment.

He made the comments on a Samaa TV show today.

“If the establishment believed that the elections were fair and free, their narrative regarding the May 9 incident instantly stands invalidated,” he said.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman has claimed that former army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and ex-spymaster Lt Gen Faiz Hameed had guided all political parties regarding the no-confidence vote against Imran Khan and his government.

“They [Gen Bajwa and Gen Faiz] were in contact with all political parties regarding the no-confidence motion and they told us the way of going about it,” he said in an interview with Samaa TV’s Nadeem Malik.

When asked whether the move was a brainchild of the two generals, the JUI-F chief replied in the affirmative but added that ultimately, both the PPP and the PML-N supported the move.

JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has claimed that the entire Feb 8 general elections was rigged and it was not hidden from anyone.

In an interview with Samaa TV, Rehman said presenting proofs and witnesses against such wrongdoings was indeed very difficult.

“The details behind the poll rigging are something that can’t be described in media,” he added.

PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain met his cousin and PTI leader Parvez Elahi at Adiala Jail today.

According to a statement released by the PML-Q, Chaudhry Salik and Chaudhry Wajahat Hussain were among those who attended the meeting.

The meeting was entirely “apolitical”, the party statement said, adding that Elahi and Shujaat shared a “relation of love” and the meeting was held as per “family traditions”.

“The two held no discussion on the current political scenario,” the statement added.

PTI’s Barrister Gohar has said the protest planned by the party on Saturday against alleged poll rigging will not just be a day-long affair, insisting “we plan to protest continuously.”

Speaking in Geo News programme Capital Talk hosted by senior journalist Hamid Mir, Gohar cited Imran as saying that parties planning similar protests against “rigging” must be approached by the PTI. “A committee has also been formed in this regard and we will approach political parties planning similar demonstrations,” he added.

Gohar said the legal battle against poll irregularities will go on, adding “we will not leave political ground empty.”

Omer Ayub Khan, who has been nominated as the PTI’s candidate for prime minister, says his first priority would be to free all political prisoners including Imran Khan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi and other PTI workers.

In a social media post, he said: “PTI will contest and inshallah win the PM election in the National Assembly as we have won with 180 seats in the General Elections 2024.”

“PTI as a party will work for strengthening democratic institutions in Pakistan so that the country’s economy can be put on a path of positive trajectory and we can initiate our reforms programme to benefit the people of Pakistan,” Ayub added.

The PTI has claimed that the “illegitimate” and “fascist regime” in Pakistan was “maliciously attacking Imran Khan’s wife, Bushra Imran Khan, and denying her medical aid”.

Bushra Bibi is currently serving sentences in two cases and is under arrest at Bani Gala. Yesterday, PTI leader Zulfi Bukhari had also claimed she was being denied permission to meet her family members.

PTI-backed independent candidate Ameer Muhammad Khan who won PP-89 from Bhakkar has joined the PPP.

In a post on X, the party’s media cell said the decision was taken after he met PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Faryal Talpur.

The statement added that other party leaders, including Shahid Hasan Khan and Chaudhry Hayat Mehmood, were also present.

Amir won the seat on a PTI ticket in the 2018 general elections.

PTI leader Barrister Gohar has termed reports of party-level talks with the PTI-Parliamentarian as “incorrect information”.

During a media talk today, he said: “We are not moving forward with PTI-P.”

Sher Afzal Marwat has said that the PTI will present Form 45s of party-backed winning candidates — who he alleged were falsely defeated — before the international media at 2pm tomorrow.

Addressing a press conference today, he added that Barrister Salman Akram Raja will give a detailed presentation on the irregularities by the Election Commission of Pakistan and the alleged rigging that took place.

MQM-P Convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui has said the victories of independent candidates in the Feb 8 elections indicated that the polls were free “to some extent”.

Addressing a press conference in Karachi, Siddiqui said the polls in 2024 were better than those held in 2018.

The MQM leader said it is the need of the hour that all political parties must strive to protect the state instead of their politics.

He said MQM’s dominance in Sukkur, Nawabshah and Mirpurshah had not faded and the masses would still vote the party to power.

He added that the current situation warranted difficult decisions and everyone must play their due role in the process.

PTI leader Gohar Khan has said his party will hold a peaceful protest across the country on Saturday (Feb 17) against the “marginalisation of the PTI”.

“For this purpose, we are inviting all political parties whether it is the GDA, JI, JUI-F, TLP, ANP or any other party that believed the mandate was changed and rigging took place,” he said.

Gohar added that the PTI would record a peaceful protest on Saturday afternoon and requested the public to participate in it. “These elections were very critical […] and we won’t let our mandate be stolen.”

In response to a question, Gohar refuted reports regarding talks with the PPP.

The PTI has picked Mian Aslam as the party’s candidate for the slot of Punjab chief minister, Barrister Gohar Khan has said.

At a press conference outside Adiala Jail, he said: “Our candidate for chief minister in Balochistan is Salaar Kakar sahib. In KP, Aqibullah Khan’s name has been selected for the speaker of the KP Assembly.”

Gohar added that the names of candidates for the National Assembly speaker and deputy speaker would be announced soon.

PTI’s Barrister Gohar Khan has refuted reports of forming a government with the PML-N, PPP and MQM-P.

“We have, as per instructions by Imran Khan, announced that there will be no power-sharing with these parties,” he said, adding that the politics of PTI was not for power-sharing but for the public.

“The PTI is doing politics for the protection of the public’s rights and believes in the supremacy of the mandate and democracy,” he added. “Therefore, we don’t believe in any power-sharing.”

“We will do strong opposition until we get the full mandate, but we are in the position to form governments in Punjab, KP and Centre,” Gohar said.

PTI leader Barrister Gohar Khan has urged the Election Commission of Pakistan and the judiciary to immediately fix the cases filed by the PTI and take notice of the “fake mandate”.

At a media talk outside Adiala Jail, he said: “Today we held a detailed meeting on the formation of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa formation and even how to fight in federal and Punjab.

“We also spoke to Khan sahib over the elections. We believe that the PTI has won 180 seats according to the record.”

Speaking to the media in Karachi, PPP’s Shazia Marri said the party wanted “justice for the voters”.

She stated that there were many “injustices” done in Karachi during the Feb 8 polls. “All these things are in front of us but that does not mean we will go towards chaos or promote hatred […] PPP has a positive thinking […] we want political and economic stability in the country.”

She further said that the party wanted Parliament to be functional and would ask the next government to implement its 10-point manifesto.

Speaking to the media in Karachi, PPP leader Shazia Marri has said that stability for Pakistan was of paramount importance for the party.

“In our history, we have mostly done politics of opposition. Looking at the results of the polls, the PPP chairman said that we lacked the numbers to bring forth our candidate for prime minister, which is Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari,” she said.

“Despite this, we do not want to do anything which will harm the country […] coming on the streets, challenging the system or hurling threats is not our way,” she said.

She said that the party had never tried to harm the country’s democratic system, for which it had given “countless sacrifices”. She went on to say that those who did not get their way were blocking roads and hurling threats.

“The press conference by Bilawal in Islamabad was that of a statesman, a leader […] who wants to see economic stability in the country,” she said. She said that the party was not looking at the premier’s candidacy or the federal cabinet but would “not challenge the system”.

She said that irregularities in the Feb 8 polls were being compiled by the party. “We will do everything while remaining within the law and the Constitution,” she said.

The PML-N has bashed PTI founder Imran Khan for “shamelessly seeking” American intervention.

In a post on X, the party said: “Imran Khan’s hypocrisy knows no bounds.”

The statement comes after PTI’s Barrister Saif said Imran wanted the US to closely monitor alleged rigging in the Feb 8 elections.

Ex-focal person on digital media of former prime minister Imran Khan, Dr Arslan Khalid, has responded to reports of the PTI forming an alliance with PTI-Parliamentarians in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“Why will PTI even want to go in any alliance with PTI-Parliamentarians when they have two-third majority there. Some fake news don’t need party statements but little IQ to rebut them,” he said.